Beverage dispensing apparatus with recirculating means



J. M DQNALD ENSING APPARATUS WITH RECIRCULATING MEANS BEVERAGE DISP Filed. May 1, 1945 INVENTOR.

April 3, 1951 J. J. MQDONALD BEVERAGE DISPENSING APPARATUS WITH RECIRCULATING MEANS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 1, 1945 Patented Apr. 3, 1951 nmrso star anger BEVERAGE DISPENSING APPARATUS WITH RECKRCULATHNG MEANS John J. McDonald, Newton, Mass; William J. McDonald, executor of said John J. McDonald, deceased, assignor to The McDonald Company, Boston, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application May 1, 1945, Serial No. 591,272 1 Claim. (Cl. 225-21) This invention relates to beverage dispensing apparatus and more particularly to a beverage distributing and dispensing apparatus wherein the beverage may be maintained at a predetermined temperature while being distributed and until actually drawn off at one or at any of several dispensing locations.

The invention is herein disclosed in its application to a hot coffee making, distributing and dispensing system suitable for providing hot coffee for relatively large numbers of people, such as in industrial establishments, institutions and the like, where large demands are made on he coffee supplying and dispensing equipment. However, it should be understood that my invention may be utilized for dispensing other hot liquids, and its various features are readily adaptable for cooling and dispensing cold liquids by substitution of refrigerating means for the herein disclosed heating means.

It is among the objects of the invention to pro vide a beverage distributing and dispensing apparatus wherein the beverage to be dispensed is maintained at a predetermined temperature in the distributing system and in the dispensing device or devices notwithstanding that a dispensing device may be remote from the source of the beverage and from the mechanism for elevating or lowering its temperature to the predetermined extent.

Another object is to provide, in connection with a beverage making mechanism, a beverage storage reservoir and a distributing system leading from the reservoir to one or more beverage dispensing devices, said distributing system including means automatically responsive for restoring a predetermined temperature of the beverage therein Whenever the temperature of the beverage in the distributing system departs a substantial amount from said predetermined temperature.

Still another object is to provide a hot beverage dispensing apparatus including a closed hot water system jacketing the hot beverage distributing pipes.

Yet another object is to provide dispensing device having provision for maintaining the temperature of liquid to be dispensed at a predetermined temperature until actually dispensed.

It is, moreover, my purpose and object generally to improve upon prior liquid distributing and dispensing apparatus.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevation, somewhat diagrammatic, showing a hot coffee making, storing and l 2 distributing apparatus embodying features of my invention;

Figure 2 is an elevation, partly in section, showing a dispensing apparatus constituting, a part of, my invention; and

Figure 3 is a detail cross-sectional viewat the entrance end of the water-jacketed portion of my apparatus. Referring to the drawings, the cofiee urns 19 may be of Well known construction and ordi narily will have the usual standard equipment such as gages and draw-off taps, which are omitted ircm the drawings as constituting no part of my invention. The urns it are shown supported on a suitable table I2, which may have as many urns as desired thereon. While only two of the urns iii are herein represented, I prefer to employ in the system disclosed three urns, each having capacity for ten galions of coifee.

Beside the table it, or at any other convenient location, I provide a steam jacketed vat i4 constituting a storage reservoir into which coifee may be delivered from one or all of the urns as through pipe l6. Steam from any suitable source delivers into the jacket of vat it through pipe it, and a thermostat-controlled valve 29 in pipe I8 operates to admit live steam whenever the temperature within the steam jacket drops below a predetermined temperature as communicated to the valve 211 through the thermostatcontrol tube 22. Steam from the jacket exhausts through the condenser funnel 24 wherein it becomes condensed in any well known mannor, as bycoming in contact with a water spray (not. shown) interiorly of the funnel, a suitable receptacle or waste pipe (notshown) being arranged below the tunnel to catch the drip therefrom, and a pressure relief valve being provided in the steam jacket for safety purposes. The vat it may have a capacity-oi ten gallons, for example, and may be provided with any well known type of float-controlled valve (not shown) for preventing rise of the coffee level therein beyond a predetermined level. Hence, in a three urn system there will be a combined coiiee-holding capacity of forty gallons. How ever, in operation, each urn in succession will be making coiiee and temporarily will be out off from pipe is leading to vat it, so that, usually, thirty gallons or thereabout of madecoifee will be available at any time for distribm tion and dispensing, assuming that coffee is being drawn from the system at a considerable rate while any one urn is making coffee.

An electric motor and pump unit 28 is mounted on shelf 36 of the table i2 for pumping coifee from the urns Hi to the vat Hi, and for circulating the cofiee through the urns at times when the vat is full and its float valve closed against admission of more coffee. Each urn has a .discharge pipe 32 with hand valve 34 therein, and all of the pipes 32 open into pipe 38 which leads to the suction side of the motorpump unit 28. The delivery side of the motor-pump unit 28 has connected thereto a pipe 38 to which the vat supply pipe I is connected, a hand valve 40 being provided in line 38, I6 permitting manual cut-oh of the supply of coffee to vat I l. Pipe 38 extends beyond its connection to pipe it and opens into circulation pipe 42 which has a branch connection Ml leading into the upper part of each urn iii, both the extension of pipe 38 and each branch connection 44 having manual valves 26 and it re spectively by means of which the circulation system, may be cut ofi, by closing valve 46, orany desired one or more urns may be out out of the circulation system by closing the propenone or more of the valves 48.

Cofiee from vat it flows throughits bottom outlet 5% into pipe 52 of the cofiee distributing system, a hand valve 5% in pipe 52 on the distributing side of vat it controlling flow of coffee into the distributing system, and an extension pipe 52', on the other side of the vat constituting means for draining the vat, being controlled by manual valve 56 Which normall remains closed. A thermometer 53 in pipe 52, adjacent to the vat, indicates the temperature of the coffee discharging from the vat Hi.

Beyond the thermometer 58, pipe 52 extends into andaxially of a substantially larger diameter pipe 60 which constitutes awater jacket around the coiiee distributing pipe 52. Pipe 52 extends, thus jacketed by pipe 60, to one or more dispensing locations, at each of which a. dispensing mechanism is located, as illustrated in Fig. 2. Coilee distributing pipe 52 is supported and maintained centered within pipe 6% by suitably spaced spiders 62.

Hot water is delivered into jacket 68 through pipe 64, as best seen in the detail showing of Fig. 3, which shows the entrance end of jacket 69 and a water-tight fitting at 56 around pipe 52 where it enters the jacket.

Hot water pipe 64 leads through the jacket 60 from a steam heating unit indicated generally at .68, which may be a known type of steam jacketed unit having a steam inlet pipe F9 from any suitable source and an exhaust pipe 72 to waste. Water to be heated enters the unit through pipe :4 from any suitable source, which conveniently be the regular water system of the building in which my apparatus is installed. An accordion type expansion chamber i6 is connected in water supply pipe 14, as also a pressure relief valve '18. Preferably a thermometer is connected in the hot water pipe 64 between heating unit 68 and water jacket 60 for indicating the temperature of the water being delivered into jacket 69.

At a dispensing location, represented in Fig. 2, the jacketed coffee distributing pipe 52 extends vertically upward, as at 82, where the pipe 52 extends out of its jacket through the water-tight fitting 84 and enters the dispensing dome 8-6. The dome 86 is secured on dispensing table 88 as by having a closed bottom cylindrical part 9i! exteriorly threaded and screwed into a hole in the table.

The coiiee distributing pipe 52 passes pensing locations.

4 through the bottom of cylindrical part 90 of the dome and extends interiorly of the dome to near its upper end, where it turns and leads out through the side wall of the dome where it is equipped with a suitable dispensing tap or faucet 92.

The interior of dome 86 is divided by the vertical partition 94 which extends from the bottom of cylindrical part 98 to near the top of the dome, leaving a top passage t5 over the top of the partition connecting the two interior chambers 98, Hill. Just below the point where pipe 52 leaves the water jacket a pipe 182 opens out of the jacket and extends upward and into the dome chamber 98, so that hot water from the jacket 50 is discharged into chamber 98, around the coffee distributing pipe 52 therein, to maintain the coffee hot until it actually is dispensed at the taper faucet 92. The hot water in chamber 93 circulates over the top of partition a l into chamber ltd whence it is conducted back through pipe Itdtothe heatin unit 68 for re-circulation in the closed. system as described. Handvalves I95, I68 and iii? are provided in thepipes 52,. R32 and ifi l respectively below the table 83 for controlling flow in the pipes.

Gbviously, as many dispensing stations as desired may be connected in the jacketed line 60, as suggested in Fig. 2.

The top of the dome -36 is provided with a screw M2 for exhausting air which may become entrapped in the dome. Table 38 has a basin ll i covered by a suitable screen or grating H6, with a drain pipe l1 8 for the basin which may be connected to any convenient waste line such as the building sewerage system.

It will be obvious from the foregoing description that my hot water system is a closed system in which the water circulates through heater t8 and through the dispensing dome 0r domes 83. Such circulation is assured by providing a pump 251 in the return line Hill adjacent the water supply pipe into which water in pipe Hit delivers in returning to the heater 68.

I assure that the hot water in jacket iii of the distributing pipes will be maintained approximately at a predetermined suitable high temperature as well as in the dispensing dome or domes 86 by incorporating a thermally controlled valve 122 in the steam pipe 7%} leading to the steam jacket of heater B8, and a thermal bulb or other thermally responsive element projected into the water jacket 6t at one or more strategic locations in the distributing system has connection through tube 126 to the valve 22 for efiecting opening of valve it? whenever the hot water at said strategic location drops below a predetermined temperature thereby to admit live steam to heater 63 for restoring the temperature of the water in jacket 68. bviously, as many of these thermally responsive elements as may be desired or necessary may be connected to valve 222 so that any one of a number of distributed thermal elements may call for more heating of the hot water.

It is a feature of my invention as applied to a coifee dispensing system that a required large amount of made coffee can be maintained ever ready for dispensing steamin hot at distributed locations which may be considerable distances from the coffee making urns H3. However, the made coffee, having left the urns, is free of the coffee grc ids during subsequent he ings, ensuring preservation of the initial qualities of the coifee when dispensed some time later at the dis- The large drain on the coffee system which is occasioned when hundreds of workers file in continuous procession past a coffee dispenser, each taking a cup of cofiee, as happens at meal time in defense plants, for example, is adequately and efliciently met with my apparatus with a minimum of costly devices for ensuring maintenance of the required supply, at the required places, at the right time, and ma wanted steaming hot flavorful condition.

I claim as my invention: In a coffee making and distributing apparatu a plurality of coffee brewing urns, a jacketed storage reservoir adjacent the urns, the jacket of said storage reservoir being connected to a source of heating medium, a supply pipe extending between the urns and the storage reservoir and having branches connected in parallel with said urns,

a pump in circuit with said supply pipe for pumping cofiee from the urns into the storage reservoir, a return pipe having branches in parallel with the urns andconnected to the supply pipeat a point intermediate the pump and the storage reservoir, independently operable valves in the branches of the return pipe, a valve for opening and closing communication between the return delivery pipe for a substantial distance along the length thereof and terminating adjacent the dispensing device, a water return pipe connected to said water jacket, a pump for continuously circulating water through said water pipe and water return pipe, a water heater for heating the water circulating through said water pipe and water return pipe, and a thermostatically-controlled valve responsive to the temperature of the water in the water jacket for controllin the temperature of said Water heater.

- JOHN J. MCDONALD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 382,111 Sargeant May 1, 1888 1,237,357 Maker Aug. 21, 1917 1,389,628 Clark Sept. 6, 1921 1,882,247 Levings Oct. 11, 1932 1,668,540 McAllen May 1, 1928 1,981,171 Greenwald et al Nov. 20, 1934 2,066,703 Stephens Jan. 5, 1937* 2,140,816 Seitz Dec. 20, 1938 2,153,335 Martin Apr. 4, 1939 2,228,648 Welles Jan. 14, 1941 2,321,906 Gair June 15, 1943 2,430,501 Galbally Nov. 11, 1947 

